(what is) Film
(what is) Film is an American/Canadian animated TV series created by Frank Novice, Lilly Laney and Elliot Strange. This is the first and only series to have aired on both UPN and The WB. Production (what is) Film was produced by Laney/Novice Productions, The Kushner-Locke Company (season 1-3 until the company filed for bankruptcy), animated by Check Studios, funded and co-produced by WIC Entertainment (who helped distribute the show on Canadian stations) and distributed by Columbia Tristar Television in the US. The show was originally meant to be a live action drama series, and at the time, the project was headed by Glen Morkin. Laney, Novice, Strange and Emerson were unable to get along with Morkin, and following a meltdown over some criticism, he abandoned the show. Strange decided to reform the show as an animated series and include some comedic elements. Laney hired Donald Kushner and Peter Locke (whom she was friends with at the time) to help fund and promote the show to networks. The show originally aired on UPN, on March 20th of 1999, but it was cancelled in 2000. To protest the poor decisions of the network, the production team moved to UPN's rival The WB, where the show continued for an additional two seasons. Premise The series centers around Wes Shapiro, a sheltered man who travels to Hollywood after his controlling parents pass away. Having never seen anything resembling a movie or a TV show (let alone a TV set), he decides to learn more about it, only to get accidentally embroiled in a movie deal with Allan Smith, who wants Wes to make a movie based on his past life. Wes agrees to do it to get a better understanding of film, and in doing so, he learns of the dark side of filmmaking. Characters Main Wes Shapiro (Jason Alexander): A man who has spent a majority of his life at home. His parents forbade him from watching television and forced him to study. Being completely naive to the world of cinema, he's often the subject of ridicule by movie buffs and due to a lack of contact with other individuals, he's somewhat shy and insecure. Throughout the series, Wes devotes more and more time to making his movie, to the point that it takes a major toll on his health. By the end of season one, he has become noticeably fatter, near the middle of season two, he starts smoking, around season 3, he becomes a borderline alcoholic before Joel helps him overcome it and a few episodes within season 4, Wes suffers a near fatal heart attack. Wes' name is a mix of the names of Howard West and George Shapiro, executive producers for Seinfeld. Allan Smith (Charles Shaugnessey): A disgruntled movie producer who hires Wes out of desperation. Allan was once well respected, but due to him getting tied to various flops, he was blackballed and is forced to work under an assumed name. Allan's name is a pun on Alan Smithee, a pseudonym created by directors who wish to disown films they're tied to. His appearance mirrors that of Christopher Collins, an actor who took part in an earlier show made by Elliot Strange prior to his death. Supporting Joel Morrow (Howard Morris): Wes' estranged best friend. Joel used to sneak into Wes' house and the two frequently read comic books together. Joel is somewhat more childish and he frequently watches cartoons when he's not hanging with Wes or the others. He often tries to help Wes with his movie, but his advice proves to be unethical most of the time. Monte Yuzna (Hank Azaria): Wes' therapist who first appears near the end of season one and becomes a main character by season 2. Wes frequently seeks help from Monte after he is forced to endure endless stress in regards to his projects. It was revealed in season 3 that Monte is a closeted homosexual and he confessed his attraction to one of his clients. Wyatt Argnam (Darius McCrary): A dispatched African American soldier who suffers from severe anger issues. In spite of his angry nature, he does have a soft side and he tries to contribute ideas for Wes' films. Monte confessed his attraction to him and, to the former's surprise, Wyatt accepted it, claiming that Monte has helped him gain better control of his anger issues. Chelle Polk (Oliva Hack): A 16 year old, socially inept girl who admires Wes. Her parents frequently forced her out of her home so she could make friends. She heard about Wes by chance and liked how he was actually forced to stay indoors. In spite of getting rejected by Wes, Cami frequently tries to help Wes to get his approval. It's shown that another reason she likes Wes is because she views him as a better parental figure than her own father. She shows great resentment towards her father and she hopes to move in with Wes at some point in the future. Prudence (Mary Kay Bergman for the first few episodes, Marcia Wallace for season 1-4 and Annie Potts for the remainder of the series): Allan's assistant. She often countered inaccurate statements made by Allan and she came off as a bit of a nuisance, but the two enjoyed a fine relationship. Bergman voiced Prudence up until her death and was replaced by Wallace, only for the latter to get replaced by Potts. Giles Polk (Stephen Collins): Chelle's father who's a TV collector and electronics salesman. The two hardly get along, although Giles believes that he's doing the right thing when it comes to raising his daughter. He frequently puts his daughter through activities that she doesn't enjoy and he kept her out of the house in an attempt to get her to make friends. In spite of his screw ups, he seems to have some form of care towards his daughter's well-being, but he hardly tries to get input from her in order to become a better father in her eyes. John Schroder (Michael Bell): A comedic actor who is considered to be the most hated actor in Hollywood. This is due to his racial insensitivity, giant ego, making fun of dead celebrities and creating a series of ill-received movies. He first appears in "Flake" when Wes casts him in his movie with no prior knowledge of his infamy and had to go to great lengths to get him out of the project. He plays another major role in "Bad Hollywood Bad: A Reference You Don't Want to Get" when he attempts to stop Wes and his friends from destroying the copies of a sequel to one of his movies. It has been implied that Schroder destroyed Allan Smith's career prior to the start of the series.